


The Homoerotic Subtext of Throwing a Glove

by n00dl3Gal



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Based on Akechi's Confidant, But with a healthy dose of salt, Canon Compliant, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Angst, Goro's Gay Panic, How Do I Tag This, M/M, P5R Spoilers, Slightly - Freeform, persona 5 royal spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 09:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n00dl3Gal/pseuds/n00dl3Gal
Summary: HEAVY P5R SPOILERSGoro, in his dumbest move yet, threw his glove at Kurusu.Amazingly, it works out.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 41
Kudos: 252





	The Homoerotic Subtext of Throwing a Glove

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to someone from the Goro lovers Discord server who went on a long rant about how Shuake shippers actually hate Goro before leaving. It's also dedicated to Atlus for being stupid. Fuck you, I run on spite and salt.

Goro was an absolute fool.   


He’d been a fool for a while. Agreeing to spend time with Akira Kurusu was, on paper, fine. Kurusu was the primary suspect for the Phantom Thieves, after all. It was easy enough to justify their time together as investigation. But that… that only justified so much.   


Going out for food. Playing darts and pool. Goro took him to a  _ jazz club _ , for God’s sake. To say nothing of Goro- normally a very private individual- weaving his life story while  _ literally in his most vulnerable state.  _ Even a blind man could see the homoerotic subtext in their excursions.   


It had only gotten worse now that Goro was an official member of the Phantom Thieves. Which, again, he could explain away as trying to keep up his cover, maintain the lie. Keep Kurusu from getting suspicious. And yet Sae-san had a knowing smile whenever Goro checked the group chat, Sakura-san knew his order from memory… Either Shido was oblivious or really believed the lie. Believed it better than Goro himself.  _ You’re back awfully late…  _ what had he been thinking?

There was playing along, and then there was blatant flirting. And Goro had long,  _ long  _ moved past the former. (Probably around the same time they shared a bath, which the ghost of Frued was surely having a field day with.)

And now, in the  _ gayest  _ move he could’ve possibly made, Goro challenged Kurusu to a duel. By shoving a gun in his face.   


Kurusu, to his credit, accepted the challenge with all the grace expected of a gentleman thief. Was a gracious winner when he wiped the floor with Goro. Didn’t laugh or make any flirty comments once they left Mementos.   


Which could be more than said for Goro, who  _ threw his damn glove in Kurusu’s face.   
_

Despite using Robin Hood in the fight, he could hear Loki laugh within him.   


_ Goro, you overdramatic bitch.   
_

_ At least  _ he didn’t throw his left glove. Kurusu was smart; he had already deduced Goro was left-handed from a couple meetings. Throwing his left glove- a symbol for his left hand- that would’ve been too much. Too over-the-top. Too… too blatant.   


Kurusu took the glove, too. He didn’t say anything, just smiled that toothy smirk that screamed “Joker.” Goro simultaneously hated that grin and wanted to kiss it off Akira’s stupid face.   


Kurusu. Not Akira. Never Akira. That was admitting he’d lost.   


He managed to cover himself up with some bullshit about duels in Western cultures being started with glove-throwing, which was probably true. Goro wasn’t the type to pull fun facts out of nowhere; he’d probably read it at some point and stored the information for this specific occasion.   


It wasn’t until Kurusu had left and they were texting again that Goro realized that  _ Kurusu took the damn glove with him.   
_

Oh no.   


There wasn’t any real reason to panic, Goro had other pairs of gloves, and it’s not like losing one was uncommon. Nobody would suspect a thing on his end… unless they found out Kurusu had the other half. Historians would dedicate entire chapters to the symbolism of this exchange, then throw it all away and insist they were just “good friends.”   


Pah. They weren’t friends. Goro had flat-out stated he  _ hated  _ Kurusu, to his face. Not that Kurusu had any reaction beyond his usual detachment. He probably saw right through that facade like it was cellophane. Which, to be fair, it was.   


Still, those historians would be missing the subtext of a gay man trying desperately  _ not  _ to be a gay man. If they ever found out about the event, which of course they never would. Goro would be careful to scrub that out of the narrative long before any biographies of his success were published.   


Assuming he made it that far. Which, now that he was thinking about it…   


Goro threw his phone onto the bed and sighed. He was going to take down Shido. The flop was finished, the turn was coming, and he was to be the river that heralded the royal flush. (Perhaps he had casinos on the mind, thanks to the elder Niijima’s Palace.) But, if for some God-forsaken reason he were to fail…   


Their little duel proved it: Kurusu would have the strength to beat Shido in his stead, if the worse were to happen. The pessimistic side of Goro felt it was inevitable.   


He was pulled out of his thoughts by his phone buzzing again. A message from Kurusu. Odd, he usually only responded to texts, rarely initiating them. Furthermore, Goro had already wished him good night.   


**Kurusu: Next time we hang out, maybe I could pick the location? Not that I don’t enjoy your choices, but I have places in mind I think you’d enjoy.   
**

OK, simple enough. Goro could handle this. As long as he didn’t ask about the glove-   


**Kurusu: Also, I still have your glove… I can give it back to you next time we meet up if you want**

Ah. Of course he would.   


Goro didn’t respond at first, too busy pacing across his apartment. Eventually he replied with a “I’m sure wherever you pick is fine. I have other pairs, it’s not urgent” and prayed to whatever deities there were that Kurusu wouldn’t read too much into it.   


**Kurusu: Sounds good. It’s a date then 😘  
**

Goro screamed. Loki laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/n00dl3gal)   
[tumblr](https://tumblr.com/n00dl3gal)   
[Commission info](https://n00dl3gal.tumblr.com/post/187155394512/writing-commissions-open)


End file.
